Number of U.S. Farms Slips
By 9,000, Led by Midwest

WASHINGTON -- The number of U.S. farms has slipped this year by 9,000 operations, or 0.4%, to 2,060,000 farms, the U.S. Agriculture Department reported.

The annual survey, conducted in June, found that farm numbers dropped from a year before in 20 states and climbed in 11 states. The Midwest accounted for most of the decline, continuing a decades-long pattern. Farm numbers grew slightly in the Northeast, South and West regions.